Whisper Me Sweet Nothings
by Espei
Summary: Valaina and N are two very different people, with completely different views. As she travels, Valaina continuously runs into N, and she begins to view him in different ways as she learns more about him and his past. What will she do? OCxN.
1. Partner's in Crime

"Valaina, wake up!" echoed a sweetly demanding feminine voice. A pounding came from the floor underneath me as I tossed and turned in my bed. In a feeble attempt to block out the pounding, I pulled my pillow over my right ear and held it tightly.

"C'mon already, you're gonna be late!" her voice had more of a concerned tone this time; she pounded some more. The items in my room rattled around a bit from the shaking, she had been hitting the ceiling pretty hard after all. I grunted and turned to lay on my right side, slowly raising my hand to my alarm clock facing it toward me. _Holy shit, it's this late already?_ I thought as I shot up, jumping out of bed like a ninja and throwing on my usual; a pair of fishnet stockings, black and white leg-warmers, neon green checkered belt, black, green and purple ruffled skirt (there are three layers to the skirt, each being one of the colors in the order stated), black shirt with the sleeves rolled up), cropped purple jacket, converse and my layered necklaces along with the heart pendant on a chain. My hair… Well that never really turns out how I'd like it to, but we'll just say it's in a ponytail. _It's been a while since I was this nervous.._

"Val, are you ready yet? The Professor is waiting, 'ya know. She doesn't have all day!"

"Yes mom, I hear you loud and clear." I stated half annoyed as I made my way downstairs and into the Kitchen where she was cleaning the dishes. She turned and gave me 'the look'; I just half rolled my eyes.

"Eat your food before it gets too cold." She patted the table with a spoon she was about to wash.

"Mmm, looks delicious. Thanks ma'." I munched on her famous bacon and eggs, once I finished she followed me to the door.

"Okay, make sure you keep in touch with me, you know how I worry about you."

"Don't worry, I will." I was about to turn and walk out the door when-

"Oh, before I forget! Here, the Professor wanted me to give this to you before you arrived." She handed me a small, odd looking device.

"Gee… Thanks, I don't know what to say… Except, what is it?"

"Right, it's an Xtransceiver; it's a high-tech transceiver with a camera function and it allows up to four-way calls." She said in a very proud and sophisticated manner. 'You're cool mom, gotta say.' I coughed; mom gave me a concerned look.

"Ahahaha, I'm okay, just had some bacon stuck in my throat. Thanks a lot; I'll make sure I use it to keep you updated." I smiled big. Mom's eyes started to get a shiny, glossy look to them. "Oh, don't cry.. 'Ya gotta see me off with a smile."

"I can't help it, you're gonna be gone for so long." She gave me a big hug, kissed me on the cheek (much to my dismay), and pushed me out the door. _Alright then,_ I thought. On my way to the Professor's lab I ran into Cheren and Bianca, they seemed to be in high spirits today, well Bianca always is, but it's a rare sight to see Cheren so happy.

"Ren, Bi, hey guys." I waved calmly, Bianca ran over with a huge grin on her face; Cheren seemed to slow down a bit. I gave Bianca a look and she must have known what I was thinking because she told me why he slowed down.

"Sad to think you didn't realize it by now, Val." She shook her head disappointedly.  
"Know what?" I asked completely lost. She pointed to him and nodded her head. I waved my hand at her to say "Yeah, okay". Cheren glanced up at me when he noticed I was walking toward him.

"Hey Ren, what's wrong?"  
"Uhh... Nothing." He stuttered, looking around for some means of escape. I tipped my head slightly to the right and raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, so you don't want to talk about it right now, that's fine too." I shrugged. He didn't take to that reply too well; a grunt came from his direction in response. "Either way, we should get going, it's already 9, if we're any later she might not give them to us." I stated walking back toward the lab. Both of them followed behind closely, I could hear Bianca's small voice whispering harshly to Cheren.

We finally arrived at the lab and were greeted by the Professor right away.

"Welcome guys, you finally made it, huh?"

"We're so sorry." The three of us bowed in one swift motion; she laughed.

"Its fine, I was the same way when I was younger, now follow me if you will."

"Uhm, Professor Juniper?"

"Yes Bianca?"

"My mom wanted me to give this to you; she said it was given to her by some elderly man in thr market." Bianca handed the Professor an oddly colored egg.

"Oh my, this is interesting. You don't want to hold onto it?"

"I think it would be better if you took it." Bianca said nervously, she wasn't really good at watching over or taking care of things like that. I glanced at the egg and felt something, it's like it was drawing me in. Cheren must have been watching me because he shook my shoulder violently, attempting to snap me out of my daze. The Professor soon gave me a concerned look.

"Valaina, are you alright?" Juniper asked, worried. Cheren and Bianca's glances followed hers'.

"Yeah, I'm fine. That egg… It seemed to draw me in somehow. What's in there?"

"There's no way to tell at this point, we simply have to wait until it hatches. The process will be quicker if one of you were to take it along on your journey, it seems as though having a Pokémon egg around other Pokémon helps it grow," she turned to me with a hopeful gleam in her eyes, "What do you say, Val? Take the egg with you?" There was no way I could turn her down, besides; it would be a good opportunity to learn about taking care of young Pokémon.

"Tanka," I nodded, gently taking the egg from the Professor's grasp as she gave me a skeptical look. I become confused myself as I didn't know why I was receiving such a look, but I soon realized my mistake.

"Goheno nin, I sometimes forget to leave my language behind."

"You speak Elvish?" Her expression was that of shock, I couldn't blame her, not many know people who still know the lost Elven language. Cheren and Bianca were already used to this since they've known me for years now.

"Yes, I do. I, myself, am half Elvish. My father was part of an old tribe that still exists to this day in the far eastern lands. What I speak is a mix of the different branches. My mother and I speak Elven to one another in order to keep the language alive within our family. I had learned it at a young age."

"That's amazing, I'm sure your father would be very proud of you right now, Valaina."

"Thank you Professor," I smiled sweetly towards her.

"All right, now it's time to give you what you came for." Her attitude went from that of a student learning something new, back to the professional she is. She started once again while glancing down at three balls in front of her, "In front of me are three pokeballs, as you can see. Inside are three unique pokémon, you'll each be choosing one of them. Going from your left to right we have Oshawott; the sea otter pokémon, Tepig; the fire pig pokémon, and Snivy; the grass snake pokémon. First we'll have Valaina choose."

"Awee, but I wanted to go first!" Bianca whined. I gave her a pitiful look because of how childish she can be. Turning my attention back to the three pokeballs that lay in front of me, I swallowed hard, nervous and afraid of making the wrong choice. _I can't possibly pick the wrong Pokémon, either way it'll grow to be strong, I know it. I'm sure they're all great.. But which to go with…_ Something was telling me to pick Oshawott, but for some reason I kept finding my glance going right back to Snivy's pokeball. _Is he trying to tell me something? Is he calling me?_

"What'll it be, Valaina?" The Professor snapped me back to reality.

"Yeah Val, choose already! I can't wait any longer!"

"Okay Bi, don't get your hair in a knot," I looked at Professor Juniper with a serious expression, "I choose Snivy; the grass snake pokémon."

"Are you sure you want to choose this pokémon?" She asked almost as if she was trying to tell me something.

I exhaled deeply, "Yes, I'm positive."

"All right, here you go then. I'm sure you two will get along amazingly." She smiled like a proud mother. I took a good long hard look at my new partner-in-crime's pokeball and decided it was time to meet him. "Snivy, come on out!" I commanded as sweetly as I could. A red beam came from the pokeball as I threw it in the air and a small snake-like pokémon materialized right in front of me. It gave a small cry and looked at me with its big brown eyes; a nonchalant expression on its face. I knelt down beside him, giving him a warm welcoming smile.

"Hey there Snivy, my names Valaina and from here on out we're going to be partners. How does that sound?" There was no response, he just twitched his tail and walked away. I snorted and stood up with my arms crossed. "Well then, fine, if you wanna be like that." Cheren, Bianca and the Professor laughed at my childish reaction to Snivy. While I was busy fawning over him, both Bianca and Cheren chose their pokémon, as usual though Bianca was complaining of how she wants to leave and whatnot.

"Val, Val, look at who I chose! Go Oshawott!" A small blue pokemon materialized from the pokeball, it ran over to Bianca and clung to her leg. "Awee, Bibs, don't be afraidd," Bianca cooed to 'im.

"Very cute Bi, what about you Ren?" I turned to see him gazing at the small otter attached to Bianca's leg.

"What? Oh, I chose Tepig. He seems like a strong one, we'll definitely make it far." Cheren seemed to be fired up for once, I was happy for him. Bianca on the other hand, I worried about her. I'm sure she's going to baby her Oshawott and he's not going to be able to use his full potential.

"Now that you guys have your partner, I'm sure you're all eager to be heading on your journeys. Be sure to go and let your parents know you're leaving, otherwise they might worry. I'm sure they all want to see who you've chosen as well."

"Thank you for everything Professor Juniper." Cheren said in chivalrous manner, I bowed beside him as thanks also. Bianca just waved, shouting thank you while darting off towards her house. I think she might have been the most enthusiastic of us all. "Rinnggg, rinnnggg~"

"What in the world?" The Professor looked around trying to find where the ringing was coming from. I, on the other hand, was trying to fish out my Xtransceiver.

"Oh, it's only your transceiver, how come you have it set for that ringtone?" The Professor questioned as I pulled it out of my bag. I gave her a puzzling look as I attempted to open up the device. A sketchy image of my mother appeared on the screen, I moved to the lab's door and the image became clearer.

"Hello? Valaina?"

"Yes mom?"

"Ah, there we go. I see that it's working well. I just wanted to make sure things are going smoothly."

"They are; I chose a pokémon." I smiled big and pointed the Xtransceiver in the direction Snivy was standing.

"Oh dear, he's adorable. Are you going to give him a name?"

"I haven't really thought of that… Hmm, what should I call him?" It was true, I didn't really think about giving him a name. I know Cheren won't be giving his Tepig one, and well Bianca is already calling her Oshawott Bibs. "What do you think of Shuu?"

"I think that's a lovely name for him honey. I'm sure you and him will become the best of friends in no time. Make sure you're careful and call me if anything interesting happens. I'll let you go now so you can get on your way." She gave me a proud smile and blew a kiss.

"Thanks mom, I'll make sure I take good care of him. He's got quite an attitude, but that makes this all the more exciting. We'll be in touch soon. I love you, bye." We both hung up; Cheren was standing behind me watching my Snivy just stand there.

"He's interesting, isn't he?" I said causing him to jump. I laughed and walked over to my new Snivy. "Hey, what do you think of the name Shuu?" Snivy looked at me and smirked, I took that as a yes, "All right, so your nickname is now Shuu." I stated happily. Bianca came waltzing in with a half-smile on.

"How did it go?" Cheren asked while walking over.

"Dad was furious, but mom helped me convince him for now. I'm going to have to become tough and show him that it's not a worthless thing to do. I'm going to prove him wrong!" There was determination in her eyes, something I hadn't seen before with her.

"I'm sure you'll be able to do it Bi, as long as you don't get too carried away." We all laughed and headed out the door. It was already noon, the sun was high in the sky and the road ahead was long; filled with mysteries all around.


	2. A Strange Encounter

**"Are we almost there yet?" Bianca moaned**. I could feel Cheren's anger radiating off of him, Bianca never understood the concept of patience which pissed Cheren off to no end.

"How many times are you going to ask that damn question?" He snapped, I glanced at him in shock. It took a lot to make him snap, better yet, curse. Bianca raised her hands almost as if something were being thrown at her face. I took a few steps away from Cheren at that point; he looked at the both of us slightly confused.

"What? Am I not allowed to get mad?"

"It's not that… I don't think you've ever blown up like that before though." I replied, my expression still that of shock. Bianca, on the other hand, wouldn't say a word. She just stood there, paralyzed. Cheren looked at her and realized what he said.

"I'm sorry Bianca, I didn't mean to yell at you.." His gaze was aimed at the ground. Personally I couldn't blame him for yelling, Bianca did get extremely annoying with her overly enthusiastic attitude, but she was still a good friend.

"It's okay.. You just scared me a little. I've never seen you so mad before, I'm sorry I got so annoying too."

"Awe, what a touching moment this is." I chuckled and took out my camera.

"Hey! You better not be thinking of recording this!"

"Oh? And why not dearest Ren?" His cheeks flushed a light pink after I said that. I chuckled even more and took a picture before it wore off. That probably wasn't the best idea though since he began chasing me in an attempt to snatch the camera from me. Probably to delete the pic, he knows how I am with them.

"All right, all right, I give.." Cheren huffed trying to catch his breath; he was leaning over with his hands on his knees breathing heavily.

"Well, now you can't say you didn't work out at all." I laughed, Bianca joined me soon after.

"Yeah, yeah, you're so funny." He growled, positioning himself upward again. "Let's go, we're almost at Accumula Town."

"Coming!" Bianca shouted, she ran over to Cheren and walked by his side. I found that so adorable, Bianca's always liked Cheren, he just never really noticed. Talk about oblivious.

[ In Accumula Town ]

It had only taken us another hour or so to make it to Accumula Town; it was such a beautiful and serene place… Well, all except for the ruckus coming from some group of whack-jobs over on a small hill.

"What're they talking about? I can't hear them." I complained. Cheren walked ahead of me with this serious expression on his face. _I wonder what's wrong with him._ I thought as I followed closely behind, Bianca was already off somewhere, most likely in the Ice-Cream shop we passed on the way. I walked up behind Cheren and whispered in his ear, "What's going on here?"

"I'm not sure; this guy is saying something about releasing your pokemon?"

"… Has there ever been the consideration that it might not be? Trainers order Pokemon to do whatever they please… They work them under the guise of being partners.. What if that were to be prevented by someone to clearly divide them?" Gasps of shock and confusion could be heard all around as an odd man continued his speech atop the small hill in front of Cheren and I. _What is this guy saying? _

The man walked to the right side of his "stage" and continued, "Don't you agree everyone? Pokemon are creatures whose sheer potential is limited by humans. We are beings who feel they must study a great many things. But what should we humans do to be ambassador to the oppressed Pokemon?" More confused and questioning responses came from the crowd around us. I was tired of standing around listening to this man.

"Who are you?" I shouted out, making my way through the crowd. The man glared at me with his hideous eyes and scoffed at my question.

"Who are you to interrupt my liberation speech?"

"I asked you first." My face showed no emotions, I was completely serious. This man had been going on about how we suppress Pokemon, hurt them, and whatnot. I found it to be ridiculous, and so I wasn't going to stand around allowing him to fill the minds of these town's people with nothing but lies.

"Fine, I am Ghetsis of Team Plasma."

"Team Plasma? Sounds pathetic if you ask me." I retorted, crossing my arms.

"Valaina, get down here!" Cheren demanded, I shook my head furiously and glared at the so called "Ghetsis".

"Stop filling these people's heads with lies! We're doing nothing wrong to our Pokemon, we love and care for each and every one of them! Not once have we forced them to do something they didn't want to do! I don't know who you think you are to come and accuse everyone of doing something so horrible to those we care about!"

"Val…" Cheren stared at me in awe, he'd never seen this side of me. Both Bianca and Cheren knew I always had a high amount of determination, but neither of them have ever seen me in action.

"Lies? What's this girl talking about?"

"Yeah, who is she? She interrupted this man's speech."

"I don't know, but she seems cute.."

All the town's people mumbled among themselves trying to figure out what exactly was going on at that moment. Of course they were in shock; some random girl coming and barging in on some guy's speech. He was random as well though. "Stop confusing these people!" I bellowed, my blood now boiling from anger.

"Who are _you_ to accuse me of confusing these people when you're doing the same? I hear much chatter about whom you might be and why you've interrupted me." A sly grin came across his face; he turned to face the people once again. "People, I thank you for your time. Think about what I have said, you Pokemon deserve better. We have no right to limit their freedom! Think of what's best for them!" He turned and took his leave, his minions followed him closely; surrounding him on all sides for protection.

"Val, why are you so reckless?" Cheren shouted as he ran up to me. The town's people dispersed after seeing him leave a look of confusion still evident on their faces.

"I don't know… I couldn't take his speech, he's lying! We're not hurting our Pokemon; we don't place them under us! They're our equals!"

"How do you know if you're hurting them or not? Did they tell you this?" A young male voice questioned from the shadows.

"Who are you?" I look to where I heard the voice coming from, Cheren followed my glance.

"The name's N, and I'm sure you have no idea what you're saying. Unless you've gotten some sort of an answer from a Pokemon itself, you have no right to talk like that." He stated in a calm manner.

"I may not be able to talk to my Pokemon, but I'm positive that he's not hurt. If he was, he wouldn't be with me right now. Nothing is stopping him from leaving me."

"Hm, I'd like to hear what your Pokemon has to say, himself. Go! Purrloin!" With the boy's command a small cat-like Pokemon materialized from the pokeball.

"A battle, huh? Fine, if that's how you want it. Come on out Shuu!"

"Snivvvv. ~" Shuu growled as he came out of his pokeball.

"A Snivy? Interesting. Purrloin use Scratch!" His Purrloin lunged toward Shuu with its sharp claws extended, I could feel butterflies forming in my stomach from nerves. This had only been my first real battle. I can't exactly count what happened in my room as… A battle.

"Shuu, dodge and use Tackle!" Shuu did as he was told and charged at the Purrloin after swiftly dodging the oncoming attack, sending it flying backwards into N. Once it was clear that Purrloin wasn't getting up, I threw my fist in the air.

"Great job there Shuu, come on back. You deserve a good rest." I caressed his pokeball once he was safely inside. "Thank you Shuu, I appreciate it." I smiled.

"Good work Purrloin, rest well my friend." N withdrew his Pokemon and walked over to me with a serious expression. "Strange… I wasn't expecting your pokemon to feel that way."

"And "that way" is?"

"He said he enjoys battling with you, and that you're a good trainer." It was clear that N was dumbfounded and didn't know what to do. Seems as though what Ghetsis had said didn't make sense to him at that very moment.

"I don't know who you really are, or what this battle had to do with anything, but I promise you that I won't let that Ghetsis dude separate anymore people from their Pokemon. It's a sad thing to watch… Especially when you become attached to them and they become your friends. You said it yourself; Purrloin is a friend to you. What would you do if Ghetsis had you get rid of it?" N looked at me with much confusion, there was a sadness in his eyes that sent a chill down my spine. _What is that? Why is he so sad? Who is he?_

"I'll be taking my leave now. That Pokemon… I don't know why it feels the way it does, but I'm sure it's not the same for all Pokemon. I won't allow them to suffer!" His voice cracked as he said this, I couldn't understand why he was so emotional over it or why he couldn't see that they're not suffering.

"I may not be able to talk to Pokemon, but I'm sure that it is the same for the rest. My name is Valaina by the way, though I like Val as well." I yelled as he was walking away. He didn't wave or say goodbye, he just… Left. Cheren was just getting back from finding Bianca, he had ran off during my battle with N. Bianca, of course, had an ice-cream cone in her hand.

"What happened? Is it over?" Cheren blurted out.

"Yeah.. I beat him. He claims he can hear Pokemon talk, and apparently Shuu likes being with me. That wasn't enough to convince him though; he said he was positive that it isn't the same for other Pokemon." I explained in a daze. The more I thought about it, the less sense it all made. What in the world was going on? Only a day or so ago I had just begun my journey as a new trainer, and already there was trouble. There was no way I was letting that Ghetsis guy or N get away with this. People and Pokemon have lived in harmony their whole lives, aside from the minor disturbances of stupid groups such as Team Rocket and now the newly formed Team Plasma. _What's with everyone and wanting to disturb the peace? Does no one pay attention to anything anymore?_ I thought while staring into space. Cheren was standing next to me furiously waving his hand in front of my face trying to grab my attention. I would have noticed had I not been so absorbed in my thoughts. _Ghetsis… It seems as though he dressed like we were back in Medieval times again, but N… He was normal, except thought just like Ghetsis.. What in the world is going on?_

"VALAINA!" Bianca wailed as she threw her shoe at me.

"What the hell?" I snapped, death glaring her.

"Don't yell at her, she did it because you weren't paying attention no matter what we did. I've been standing here for a good 10 minutes waving my hand in front of your face and shaking you." Cheren exclaimed with an angry expression, Bianca shook her head in agreement.

"Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts.."

"We noticed." Cheren crossed his arms, tapping his foot.

"It's just… None of this makes sense."

"It's not going to until we get more information, this is our first encounter with them, maybe if we keep on our travels we'll hear more about what's going on." He stated, pushing up his glasses to fit the bridge of his nose. I couldn't help but giggle, he was so geeky at times, nonetheless though I agreed with him. More information was needed.

"All right, on to Striation City then, first gym badge, here we come!" Bianca squealed with excitement as she fist pumped the air. Cheren shook his head while I joined Bianca in her little moment.


	3. The Flirtatious Trio

**It didn't take us too long to make it to Striation City since the route there was relatively short.** The whole way there we could hear Bianca prepping herself for the gym battle; I don't think she realized she was talking aloud though. We had run into a few trainers, Cheren and I took on a double battle with a pair of twins and won with ease; Bianca battled a few herself for some practice. Along the way I found myself a new partner and friend, Purrloin. I decided to nickname her Ruse, not sure why but it seemed to fit her, the name had a sassy air about it and as did she.

Upon entering Striation City Cheren immediately noticed the Trainer's School and darted off to go take a look. _Tch, what a nerd._ I thought while glancing around for any signs of those Team Plasma idiots. Bianca and I both shook our heads, than made our way to the Pokemon Center, which was conveniently located right beside the city's Gym. Outside the gym stood a decent looking guy with green hair and a green shirt to match. I eyed him with curiosity, Bianca noticed this and looked in the same direction.

"Ohh, I see what you mean." She said with a flirty tone, but in her high-pitched voice it wasn't exactly attractive, but more or less annoying. I just nodded, bringing my attention back to where I was walking, which would have been into a wall if I hadn't looked in time, Bianca took the blow instead though.

"That's what you get for not paying attention."

"Owww.. Yeah, well you shouldn't have pointed him out.." Her voice sounded nasally since she was covering her nose after slamming it into the wall, all I could do was laugh at how weird it was.

"Hahaa, sure, blame it on me." I chuckled entering as I walked up to the main desk in the Pokemon Center. "Hello and welcome to the Pokemon Center, would you like me to heal your Pokemon for you?" The lady behind the desk (also known as Nurse Joy) asked in a very polite manner.

"Yes please." Both Bianca and I handed her our Pokemon; not even 10 minutes later they were given back to us in perfect health.

"Here you go, you're Pokemon are all healed," she bowed, "thank you and have a nice day."

"Thank you." I bowed as well. Bianca… Well she was too busy fumbling around with her Pokeball (attempting to figure out the order she wanted them in) to bow back.

"Val, let's go check out the gym now!" she bellowed.

"I was planning on it-"

"Yeah!" she ran out the door without giving me a chance to finish… As usual. Cheren came waltzing out of the Trainer's School with a smirk on his face.

"I take it the School was to your liking?" I asked, laughing. His smirk disappeared and he was glaring in the direction of the gym where Bianca happened to be chatting with the Gym Leader. A sly smile crept across my face as I glanced between the two.

"Rennn. ~" I waved; no response. "Seems like someone's jealousss," I nudged him playfully, the scornful look on his face only deepened while he crossed his arms (as usual). This seemed to be his signature move. I sighed walking over to Bianca and the Leader.

"Oh Val, this is-"

"Hey, I'm Chili." A red-haired boy interrupted Bianca as he stepped in front of her. He winked at me before holding his hand out. "Your friend here was just telling me all about you and how you three are going on an adventure together."

I nodded and turned to look back at Cheren who was giving an indignant glare towards the red-head. Chuckling, I motioned for him to come over. "This is Cheren, the third person in our group." I introduced, only to be thanked with a death glare from Cheren.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Cheren." The boy smiled, a devious gleam appeared in his eyes as his turned his attention back toward Bianca. "Let me introduce you to my brothers."

As if on cue, two more young boys walked out of the building to stand on either side of Chili. One had a very handsome and sophisticated look to him; his hair was almost like an electric blue. With a pleasant smile he walked over to me, taking my hand in his and bending over placing a gentle kiss on the back of it. A slight blush crawled across my face; no one had ever done something like that to me before. Chili crossed his arms, glaring at his blue-haired brother.

"Hello there, my name is Cress and it's a pleasure to meet you." He practically whispered in a soft toned voice, looking deep into my eyes. I placed my free hand behind my head, giggling nervously.

"H-hello, it's nice to meet you too. I-I'm Valaina, but you can call me Val."

"I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, Valaina." With a sweet smile, he walked back to Chili's right side, who continued to glare at him, and gave an innocent wave telling him to calm down.

"Hmph, well now that you met _Cress_…" Chili said with bitterness in his voice, he held out a hand and pointed it in the direction of another young boy standing on his left. "This is Cilan." Cilan bowed. Bianca's face lit up and she ran to his side.

"Hello, I'm Bianca; it's nice to meet you!" She bellowed, grabbing his hand. A confused look appeared on Cilan's face.

"Bi! Get over here!" I scolded; she came running over in a fit of giggles. "Sorry about that, she doesn't know how to control herself when she likes someone… Or some_thing_ for that matter."

"It's quite all right, Cilan doesn't mind. He's just very timid and doesn't really speak around others." Cress smiled.

"All right," Chili turned around, "I think it's time we get these battles started." With both hands behind his head, he walked into the Gym. The rest of us followed him, as we entered we found ourselves in what seemed to be a giant Diner. _Wow, this is so awesome. _I thought to myself before taking a seat and glancing all around.

"Next up is Val." Chili said with a cocky smile plastered on his face. Bianca had gone down in defeat, but Cheren had managed to hold up against Cress in his battle and won easily. I didn't really understand how these boys had planned this all out, but it was definitely interesting. From what I'd seen, they went against the one they had the type-advantage over. Seemed hardly fair to me, but it helped us all greatly in some ways. I smirked knowing this was going to be one hell of a battle.

"Are you ready?" Chili asked in a dauntless manner. I replied by taking a pokeball out of my bag and hitting the center button to enlarge it. "All right, let's get this started."

Cress was on the sidelines acting as our referee, he glanced between the both of us to see if we were ready. "This is a one-on-one battle. Each user may choose a pokemon of their choice. There will be no switching out. You may begin at any time." He stated with a calm demeanor.

"All right, come on out Pansear!" Chili threw the pokeball and a small monkey-like pokemon came out.

"Pansearrr!" It cried as it got into a battle stance.

"A Pansear huh?" I cocked an eyebrow. _This is going to be harder than I thought. I'm sure we can do it though; I just have to believe in Shuu. _

"Yeah! Shuu, we can do this. Let's go!" I threw my pokeball into the air and Shuu came flying out, gracefully landing in front of me with a nonchalant expression. Chili's Pansear seemed to be even more fired up now that it saw my pokemon, but it didn't seem to phase Shuu one bit.

"Pansear use Incinerate!" He bellowed; Pansear looked back at his trainer and nodded; a burst of flames rushed out of its mouth and went hurdling towards Shuu.

"Shuu, dodge and use Leer!" I called out. Shuu jumped out of the way and glared daggers at the fire monkey after landing. Pansear shuddered, a blue aura surrounding it signifying its defense was lowered.

"Shit." Chili cursed under his breath. "Pansear use Work Up and then Fury Swipes!"

"Shuu, be careful. Watch Pansear and when the right time comes, use Tackle at full force!" Shuu gave me a look of compliance before keeping his eyes planted on the Pansear. Pansear's body was beginning to glow a red/brown color, confidence evident in its eyes. After a few minutes or so Pansear began darting towards Shuu with amazing speed; its claws extended. I carefully as it neared, Shuu glanced back at me and I nodded approvingly. Shuu quickly dashed to the right, just barely avoiding contact with Pansear, and charged at it full force smashing in the monkey and sending it flying into the wall.

"Sniv sniv." Shuu scoffed proudly as it wandered back to my side. Both Chili and I watched Pansear make a futile attempt to get up, and collapse in the process. _Thank god. _I thought before looking at Cress.

"Pansear has been rendered unable to battle. The challenger, Valaina, has beaten Gym Leader Chili." Cress announced. Bianca jumped up and down in her seat, while Cheren clapped with a smile.

"Congratulations Val. I've gotta say, you're pretty good. You and your Snivy make a great team." Chili said as he walked over, holding out his hand once again. I took his in mine and softly shook it.

"Thank you, that Pansear of yours is very tough, definitely takes after you too."

"Haha, yeah, he's my buddy." He chuckled, scratching his head.

"That was an amazing battle Valaina, I am proud to present you with this," Cress held out his hand, revealing a small elongated badge that had each of their colors down a line, "The Trio Badge." I carefully took it from his hand, holding it up to the light to get a better look.

"Hey Shuu, take a look at this." I held it out in front of him. Shuu gave a proud smirk before waltzing off to the door. I shook my head, chuckling as I gently placed the badge in my case. Before I could turn around a hand had snaked its way around my wrist and prevented me from leaving. I looked back to see Chili's eyes gazing into mine.

"Thank you.." He was now looking down.

"For what?" I asked; shocked. He turned my hand over and placed a CD in it.

"For such an awesome battle." Smiling, he let go and backed away. I glanced at the item in my hand.

"It's the TM for Work Up; a decent move that raises your pokemon's attack and special attack." Chili intervened. I placed the TM in my bag, wondering if I was going to even use it or not. _It could come in handy at some point.._

"Thank you very much." I bowed.

"Val, c'mon! We gotta get to the next city!" Bianca yelled, waving her hand in the air frantically. She had easily gotten over the fact that she lost to Cilan and was rallying to go to Nacrene in order to try out the next Gym. I waved goodbye to the boys and darted off after Cheren and Bianca. The three of us made a quick visit to the Pokemon Center just to heal up our pokemon, after that we started our long journey to Nacrene City. Upon leaving Striation, I couldn't help but think about that boy with the tea green hair and mint colored eyes, for some reason he really seemed to have made an impression on me. His way of thinking… It was confusing. _Free pokemon? They'll never become perfect creatures if we keep them inside pokeballs? It makes no sense… _


	4. More Confusion

**Author's Note: **Sorry for taking so long in getting the next chapter out. I honestly couldn't think of what to do. This is a pretty short and plain chapter, I'll try and make the next one more exciting. Don't be afraid to give me some reviews, I do enjoy them. It'll definitely help me, I need some opinions on how everything is so far and what you guys might like to see in the future. Thanks for reading guys, I hope you enjoy! ~

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**"Nacrene City." Bianca read on the sign. "Hey, hey guys! I think we're almost there!"** She shouted back at us, waving her hand in the air. Cheren and I looked at one another, shaking our heads.

"Bi, you might wanna look around the sign." I stated calmly, with a small smirk. She nodded at me and glanced on the other side of the sign, her eyes darting all around.

"Val, I don't see what you're looking at. It's just the gate to Nacrene." She said in an airy manner. I face-palmed; Cheren walked past me and flicked Bianca in the head.

"Ow! What was that for?" She whined, hold the spot that was flicked. Cheren sighed, continuing his walk towards the gate. I caught up, grabbed Bianca's wrist and pulled her along seeing she was too focused on the fact that she was just hit.

"Vaalll, why did he hit me?"

"This is why." I stated simply after we exited the Gate and took our first steps into Nacrene City. Bianca's whole face lit up as she looked all around.

"Look guys! We made it!"

"Clearly…" Cheren rolled his eyes, trying to keep himself calm. Her stupidity seemed to get the better of us both at times. It's mind-boggling how someone could be so oblivious. Watching her made me feel like a parent watching over her kid in a Candy Store. Wasn't exactly a great feeling. It didn't take me long to spot the Gym; there was a huge sign hanging over a Museum-like building that said the Gym was inside. _Great… So this is probably gonna be a really tough battle. I just hope Shuu and Areya can handle it._ I glanced at the two pokeballs that sat still in the bottom of my bag. On our way here I had run across a small Blitzle, she had challenged Shuu and I to a battle. During the battle she had shown her full potential and that really caught my eye, I didn't understand why a wild pokemon was putting so much into a passing battle, but I didn't question it either. It turns out she wanted to be caught though, I threw the pokeball at her and she didn't struggle one bit, it was an instant catch. I was really happy when I saw this, it meant that she was gonna become a valuable member of the team.

"Val, what're you doing?" Cheren placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. I looked up with a smile on my face.

"Just going over everything in my head and thinking of how much I can't wait to kick this Gym Leader's ass." I said with a cheesy grin. Cheren laughed and pulled one of his pokeballs out.

"Well, how about we have a little practice battle first?"

"Alright, you're-"

"Excuse me, but I think I'd like to have a battle with her first." said an all too familiar male voice. Afraid to turn my head, I just stared at Cheren, whose expression just answered every question I had at that moment. Swallowing hard, I slowly inched my head to look at him.

"Good to see you again, Valaina." He took his hat off and bowed like a gentlemen, before looking deep into my eyes. His were gorgeous… _Such a stunning emerald color.. And his hair, so- WOAH, what am I thinking? He just challenged me to a battle! I'll beat him without any problems!_

"… Valaina?" He gave me a puzzles look as I furiously shook my head. "Is something the matter?"

"Wha- No. You're here for a battle, right? Well a battle is what you're gonna get!" I stood firm in my battle stance, Areya's pokeball ready to go. A smirk crawled across his face; he unlatched a pokeball from his belt and threw it in the air. Out came a small bird pokemon, it flapped its wings a couple of times and calmly stood in front, waiting for a command. _Pidove, huh? This is a perfect opportunity to train her._

"Alright Areya, this one's all yours!" I shouted while throwing her pokeball into the air. She came out in a flash of light and a loud cry. Her eyes narrowed at the boy in front of her and the small bird. I could feel she was rearing to go. "Just wait girl, don't rush it." I cooed. She seemed to understand, I watched as her all the muscles in her body relaxed.

"A Blitzle? This is certainly going to be an interesting battle. Let me hear your pokemon loud and clear."

"Listen as you will, see what she thinks. You'll come to find that there are no problems. Areya, watch carefully." Areya looked back at me, nodding in compliance. N's eyes furrowed, he was trying to see what I was up to. He'd soon find out that I was up to nothing, just waiting for him to make his move.

"Pidove, use Leer." N commanded in a hushed tone. The Pidove flapped its wings in response before giving a vicious glare to Areya; she shuddered and a blue aura surrounded her. _Dammit._ I cursed; _I have to think of something quick… Oh, I know._ I snickered before looking across to N. He returned the look with a sweet smile, like he was enjoying himself. _I thought he didn't like Pokemon being used like this… Yet he's enjoying it? Clearly his Pokemon are as well. He just doesn't get it… Does he?_

"Areya, Charge!" Areya stood still, closing her eyes; electric sparks danced all around her, jumping from spot to spot on her fur. With a smile plastered across the Electric Pokemon's face, she opened her eyes widening her smile. A red aura surrounded her for a moment, telling me that her Special Defense was now raised. _Perfect._ The look in N's eyes was priceless; he knew what was going to happen next.

"Pidove, use Quick Attack to get across and then follow it up with Gust!" N commanded, the Bird Pokemon complied without a problem. In the blink of an eye the small Bird was flashing around here and there. I kept a watchful eye as I look for a pattern, there was always a pattern. _There._

"Areya, Shock Wave now!" She let out a loud cry as electrical sparks gathered around her. She reared up, than stomped on the ground releasing a wave of electricity that encircled her. Pidove went flying backwards as it ran right into the attack. N's expression went from that of a victory look to that of horror in mere seconds. He figured he'd won, even though he knew what was going to happen after Areya fully charged. His confidence baffled me. Areya had a proud look on her face as she glanced at me. I nodded with a soft smile.

"You did great, girl. Would you like to keep going?" She happily cried out, joy in her eyes. That was an obvious 'yes'. The both of us stood ready for N's next Pokemon.

"Pidove, return." The small bird was re-called; he looked at the pokemon's ball in his hand and whispered "You did a good job. Rest well," and latched it back onto his belt. "It's your turn now, Tympole!" In a bright flash, a little Tadpole-like pokemon was out and flopping on the floor.

"Uhm… Doesn't this pokemon need water?" I questioned, giving a sympathetic look to the Pokemon.

"Not at all, Tympole flops like that in order to keep itself ready at any moment." He looked at his Pokemon, smiling. His smile always made me melt, ever since I first met him… It was such a soft, kind smile he gave to his Pokemon. He cared about them, a lot. It was more than obvious. "Tympole, use Bubblebeam!"

"Bubblebeam; what's he doing?" I questioned to myself. I shook my head. "Areya, charge towards it with Quick Attack and then use Shock Wave!" Areya sped off with lightning speed. Being the Electric Pokemon she was, speed was at its top for her. She easily made her way across the field, dodging the streams of bubbles that came her way. Swiftly she gathered all the electrical energy she could, and released the wave of electricity right in front of the small Tadpole. Another one hit K-O. N called Tympole back, whispering sweet words to his worn out friend. I smiled to myself, keeping Areya out for yet another round. _Hopefully his last one won't be trouble._ I jinxed myself though; he soon released a Timburr, just what I needed. Fighting may not have been affective against Electric, but Areya's defense wasn't really the best. Her speed would be able to get her out of most the trouble, but she would only last a few hits. _Shit._ I scoffed.

"Areya, Charge!" I could tell she was slightly nervous from her stiff stance. After closing her eyes though, he muscles loosened and the spark danced around her once again. N's Timburr gave him a look that said he knew what to do. N just nodded, allowing his Pokemon to follow through with its own plan. _No wonder her left it for last… It has a mind of its own… Fuck. He must have trained this one well._ I heard someone chuckle and I drifted away from my thoughts.  
"What's so funny?" I glared across the field.

"I can see the confused look in your eyes. You're wondering why I allow Timburr to do as he pleases."

"Not at all, I already know. You have him well trained."

"No, he's always been this way. His IQ is higher than most Timburr, and they're fairly intelligent Fighting Pokemon." N sounded like a proud father as he spoke of his Pokemon and its species. Normally he sounded like a little child on a play-date, but for some reason he was far more mature this round. "Let's see if you can keep up with him."

"Not a problem. Areya, are you ready?" Almost on instantly, Areya's eyes shot open and she cried out joyously. "Good, let's get this battle going with a nice Shock Wave!" I glanced around the field only to realize that Timburr was nowhere to be found. I could tell Areya was confused as well. N snickered as his pokemon suddenly appeared right below Areya and in one swift movement it had her on the floor.

"Nice Low Kick, Timburr." His pokemon stood proudly in front of Areya, who was unconscious on the floor. _One hit? That Timburr is stronger than I thought… Shit, I'm gonna have to be careful. Let's just hope Shuu will be alright._

"Areya, I'm sorry. You did an amazing job today, come on back." I caressed the pokeball gently and placed a sweet kiss on it after she returned. "Rest well." Placing her pokeball back in my bag, I brought my hand out holding Shuu's. "Alright, it's up to you now, Shuu!" Out he came, his arms crossed and a look of amusement on his face as he saw the Timburr standing there playing with the giant log in its arms. "Shuu, be careful. It took Areya out with on-" Before I could finish, leave were whipping around the field in a furious manner. "Leaf Tornado? I didn't realize how much I trained him." I spoke under my breath. The leaves formed a cyclone around Timburr, slicing and tearing at its skin. A look of horror appeared on N's face, you could see the concern in his eyes. Heck, even I was concerned about the poor Pokemon. The leaves cleared out and Timburr was no longer standing, instead it was kneeling on the ground, barely conscious. One hand was on the log for support.

"Timburr, can you stand?" N called out, worry dripping from every word. I felt horrible, hearing N so worried made my heart ache. "Timburr!" The pokemon responded with a weak cry, and made a futile attempt to stand. One move and it was on the floor, unconscious. N ran over to his beaten Pokemon, and held it in his arms. I slowly walked over, watching N's every movement. Shuu stood behind, arms still crossed. It seemed proud of its work.

As I approached N and his pokemon, he looked up at me with the saddest eyes. "N…" I whispered, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. He was so toned; you could feel the muscle with one touch.

"This is why Pokemon should be free… This wouldn't happen."

"Yes it would, Pokemon battle all the time in the wild. And there they have no one to care for them after the fact, no one to heal them." I softly stated.

"It doesn't matter! Pokemon die every day because of the way _we_ misuse and mistreat them!"

"N! The same thing happens in the wild! Why can't you see that it's futile?"

"Because it's not! They're safer in the wil-"

"Are you stupid? How oblivious can you be? You were having fun! So was your Pokemon! N, It's in their blood to battle. It's what they do! Stop allowing yourself to be blinded!" I couldn't help but yell, I felt horrible for it because of the condition he was in… but he got me so mad. I removed my hand from his shoulder and backed up a few steps. Shock was written all over his face, he'd never been yelled at like that before, you could tell. He returned his pokemon and slowly stood up, looking directly at me. I could bear to look him in the eyes; my glance was at the ground. "I-I'm sorry…"

He took a few steps toward me. "Valaina…" His tone was neutral; I couldn't tell how he was feeling anymore. It's almost like he has some switch that he changes and it makes him swap emotions like it's nothing. He seemed almost emotionless now, there was a small tinge of sorrow though.. It was hard to see, but if you looked closely you can tell it was there. "Good battle." He finally said after a long pause, and held out a hand. I placed mine in his, and we shook. Without so much as a goodbye, he just turned and walked off. I stood there… Confused. _What in the world just happened? He was… On the ground basically in tears one moment, and after I snapped he completely changed… What is he? And why do I feel so horrible for yelling? He… Deserved it, right? _


End file.
